March 6, 2026Cassia Cottage, Phu Quoc Island, has been recognised with a CSR Recognition Award at the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam’s 2025 Annual Meeting & CSR Award Dinner. The recognition acknowledges organisations that demonstrate meaningful, well-integrated corporate social responsibility aligned with long-term social, environmental, ethical, and economic considerations.
For Cassia Cottage, the award reflects not only responsible hospitality today, but a family tradition of living and practising CSR in developing communities for more than three decades.
What Is the CSR Recognition Award and Why It Matters
The CSR Recognition Award is an annual initiative by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi, designed to promote responsible business practices among AmCham member companies operating in Vietnam.
At its core, the CSR Recognition Award recognises businesses that understand the connection between business operations and society, and that conduct their work in ways that create long-term social and economic value.
The initiative aims to:
- Encourage the integration of CSR into core business strategy
- Highlight practical, long-term approaches to social and environmental responsibility
- Collect and share best practices within the business community
- Reinforce leadership in ethical and sustainable operations
Recognition is based on how effectively organisations align business objectives with societal needs, create lasting economic and social value, and embed sustainability and ethical responsibility into everyday operations. These principles align closely with the four widely recognised pillars of CSR: environmental, ethical, philanthropic, and economic responsibility.
How Cassia Cottage Was Recognised in the CSR Recognition Award
Cassia Cottage has received the CSR Recognition Award from AmCham Hanoi in recognition of more than twenty-five years of responsible hospitality in Phu Quoc, built upon a much longer family commitment to social responsibility that began in 1992.
Long before Cassia Cottage opened, the Cassia Cottage family had already been actively involved in developing rural industries in emerging economies, creating employment for approximately 150,000 people. This early work shaped a belief that business must contribute meaningfully to society – not as an obligation, but as a way of life.
The perspective aligns closely with AmCham’s own framing of the award. At the 2025 Annual Meeting, AmCham leaders and U.S. Ambassador Marc E. Knapper recognised 38 member organisations for demonstrating how responsible business practices can deliver sustainable value for both companies and the wider community in Vietnam.
Cassia Cottage’s CSR recognition is not tied to a single programme or campaign, but to a consistent way of thinking and operating that spans decades. For Cassia Cottage, responsible business means:
- Caring for our people through respectful, stable working relationships and consistent values
- Caring for our guests by offering hospitality grounded in authenticity, integrity, and well-being
- Caring for Phu Quoc Island by operating with environmental awareness and respect for the destination’s long-term health
This approach mirrors AmCham’s emphasis on integrating social responsibility into core operations – linking economic activity with societal benefit rather than treating CSR as a separate function.
A Longstanding Commitment to Education and Social Impact
Philanthropic responsibility has long been a core part of the Cassia Cottage family’s CSR philosophy. Through the family foundation, Cassia Cottage has worked directly with Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation to support education for vulnerable children in remote and underserved areas of Vietnam.
Over the years, this partnership has helped educate more than 400 young women through high school, with approximately 150 students graduating each year. In total, the Cassia family has personally contributed around USD 2.5 million over the past thirty years to education and community development initiatives, including USD 800,000 in the past 6 years alone – supporting schooling, training, and the construction of educational facilities.
Environmental Responsibility Embedded in Island Operations
Operating within Phu Quoc’s fragile island ecosystem, Cassia Cottage approaches responsibility as a daily practice. Design choices and operational decisions are guided by respect for the island’s long-term environmental health. Since 1999, Cassia Cottage has prioritised chemical-free gardens, natural pest management, and low-impact infrastructure, reflecting a consistent effort to care for Phu Quoc as both a destination and a shared home.
Long-Term Economic Value Through Local Supply Networks
Cassia Cottage’s CSR recognition reflects a long-term outlook rooted in continuity rather than scale. We maintain enduring relationships with local farmers, fishermen, artisans, and service providers, treating sourcing as a partnership rather than a transaction. These relationships reduce transport emissions, preserve regional food culture, and support stable livelihoods within the local economy. By linking everyday economic activity with broader social benefit, Cassia Cottage mirrors AmCham’s focus on shared value and resilient, place-based economic contribution.
Ethical, People-Centred Hospitality in Practice
Responsibility at Cassia Cottage begins with care for its people. Respectful, stable working relationships and consistent values shape daily operations across all teams. Sustainability training starts at onboarding and continues through everyday practice, particularly for housekeeping and gardening teams managing chemical-free systems that require attentiveness and skill.
For guests, the people-centred approach translates into a calmer, healthier, and more genuine hospitality experience. Consistent staff teams create continuity and familiarity, while chemical-free environments support well-being and comfort throughout the stay. Service is delivered with quiet confidence and local knowledge, allowing guests to experience Phu Quoc in a way that feels personal, trustworthy, and unforced. Hospitality grounded in authenticity and integrity becomes not just a value, but a lived experience.
Consistency Over Campaigns
Cassia Cottage’s CSR Recognition is not tied to a single initiative or campaign. Instead, the recognition reflects how responsibility is embedded into daily decision-making and long-term direction – caring for people, guests, and the island as interconnected priorities. Environmental awareness, ethical labour practices, and local engagement are part of routine operations rather than standalone initiatives.
Cassia Cottage: Leading Through Everyday Operations
The CSR Recognition Award highlights organisations that lead not through scale or claims, but through how they operate day to day. Rather than pursuing growth at any cost, Cassia Cottage prioritises continuity, thoughtful decision-making, and alignment with local environmental and social conditions. As AmCham’s CSR programme continues to encourage leadership in responsible business conduct, Cassia Cottage demonstrates how hospitality can contribute positively to people, community, and place without losing its sense of purpose.
The CSR Recognition Award reinforces a belief shared by both Cassia Cottage and AmCham: responsible business is built gradually, sustained through consistency, and measured not only by performance, but by its lasting impact on society and the environments in which it operates.
